Objective: The 30-day operative mortality for thoracotomy in lung cancer is described herein.
Methods: From January 1994 through December 1994, the Japanese Association for Chest Surgery surveyed the number of thoracotomies for lung cancer by operative procedure, age, and operative mortality. The operative mortality was defined as death within 30 days of operation.
Results: The total number of operations was 7099. The overall 30-day operative mortality was 1.3%. By operative procedure, the mortalities were 3.2% for pneumonectomy, 1.2% for lobectomy, and 0.8% for a lesser operation, which showed a significant difference between pneumonectomy and lobectomy (p < 0.01). The mortality by age was 0.4% for patients younger than 60 years, 1.3% for those aged 60 to 69, 2.0% for those aged 70 to 79, and 2.2% for those aged 80 or older, which showed significant differences between the less than 60-year and 60- to 69-year-old groups, and between the 60- and 69-year-old and 70- and 79-year-old groups (p < 0.01 and p = 0.047, respectively). Pneumonia and respiratory failure caused most deaths (51.6%).
Conclusions: The operative mortality in Japan for thoracotomy in lung cancer was satisfactorily low. The results of this study on a large population could serve as a standard when discussing the operative outcome of lung cancer.